lewloh : Summer Boy
lewloh
Summer Boy
“We only have four days, I hope we make the most of it,” lewloh opens on Summer Boy. In one line, the singer-songwriter sets the heart-wrenching stakes of his stories – giving magnitude to microscopic moments, the singer-songwriter's latest ode tells an impressionistic story of collapsed relationships, framed through snapshots of vulnerability, non-communication and regret. Haunted by loss, the result is spellbindingly potent.
A far cry from the stark Robots, Summer Boy finds incredible poignancy in its rediscovered lushness, which provides a gorgeous backdrop that cushions his words' emotional weight. But most of all, unlike its predecessor, lewloh's latest succeeds because his words avoid contrived generalities. Here, all of his words feel rooted in something painfully intimate - as his verses reflect on failed communication and relationships, he elects for plain observations and diaristic takes on personal conflict: “You were my audience when I should have been listening / You raise your voice, I shut down,” he croons.
Electing for deliberate minimalism, Summer Boy's verses find vivid emotion at every turn. As his memories traverse through train rides through Michigan and recounts of conflicts, delicately recorded guitars follow his recollections, closely accompanying his vocals – coloured by subtle harmonies and double-tracked at every turn, it's a stylistic decision that gives his words a Sufjan-like levity. Think Carrie and Lowell: with his scenes of conflict uncomfortably evocative, every word feels like a punch to the gut.
But even with its ensuing pain, lewloh's aware that loss can be a helpless situation. People change, and situations are transient: "I don't mean to change you / I wish we weren't different," he muses. Eventually, he responds to the weight of loss with a resigned clarity, accepting the situation: “Summer boy / I never got to shine for you, I never made time for you,” he laments on a settled chorus.
Devastatingly personal, it’s a haunting return to form for lewloh. A powerful portrait of regret, Summer Boy is arguably the best song he has ever made.
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